HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball team will return to action in Hammond, America to open its four-game home stretch against conference rivals McNeese and Nicholls in week eight of Southland Conference play.
 
SLU (20-3, 14-0 SLC) will face the McNeese Cowgirls (8-16, 3-10 SLC) Thursday evening at 6 p.m. in the University Center. Southeastern will move on for a 1 p.m. tipoff against Nicholls (15-8, 8-6 SLC) Saturday to end the week.
 
Both games will be on ESPN+ and be heard in the Hammond area on 90.9 The Lion. Streaming audio of 90.9 The Lion broadcasts are available online, at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive or www.LionUpRadio.org, or through the following apps - Lions' Gameday and MyTuner Radio. Live stats can be accessed on the women's basketball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.
 
Southeastern finished its pair of road games with wins over HCU and UIW to remain undefeated in league play. The Lady Lions defeated Houston Christian 58-31 before gaining a 62-43 victory over UIW. The 19-point victory over the Cardinals helped SLU to secure its first regular season win at UIW under Southeastern head coach Ayla Guzzardo.
 
In their most recent win, the Lady Lions ended with two players in double figures to extend its 14-game winning streak in conference play. Seniors Cheyanne Daniels and Arianna Patton tied with 12 points against the UIW to claim the monumental victory. Daniels finished five-of-seven from the field and two-of-five from the free throw line, while grabbing seven rebounds. Patton claimed a career high in scoring, shooting four-of-six from the field and four-of-six from the three-point line. Jalencia Pierre also stepped up in the contest as a playmaker, dishing out six assists. Southeastern forced UIW into 23 turnovers while gaining 26 paint points and 22 bench points.
 
SLU continues to progress in the second half of conference play led by Horne averaging 14.4 points per game, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Daniels (9.5 ppg), Taylor Bell (8.6 ppg, Alexander (7.4 ppg), and Pierre (7.3 ppg) have also been key contributors to Southeastern's balanced scoring and success this season. Horne sits at second in the league in field goal percentage (47.6) and fifth in scoring. Pierre also continues to maintain her position among the league's finest, leading the conference in assist/turnover ratio (2.23) while ranking third in steals (2.13) and fourth in assists (4.09). Daniels has another key factor in the Lady Lions' success this season as she leads the conference in free throw percentage (85.3). SLU has also maintained its position as one of the top defensive teams, forcing opponents into 20.3 turnovers per game, to sit at third in the nation in points allowed. Southeastern leads the conference in scoring defense (52.61), steals (11.39), turnover margin (+7.87), and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.04).
 
McNeese suffered its fourth straight loss in week seven, falling 67-51 to East Texas A&M and 80-56 against Northwestern State at home. The Cowgirls are led by their sophomore Paris Guillory, averaging 15.4 points per game and 4.9 rebounds. Guillory scored 13 points in the loss against East Texas A&M, but has ended 13 games in double figures this season. The Lake Charles, La. native is shooting 36.1 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from the three-point line and 78.9 percent from the charity stripe. Kiayra Ellis is another key contributor for McNeese, as their second leading scorer, averaging 9.1 points per game, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. Ellis has finished four games in double digits with a season high 20 points against BYU. The senior leads the team in blocked shots and ranks third in the conference. Mireia Yespes (8.1 ppg) leads the Cowgirls on the boards with 7.5 rebounds per game to also rank among the top five in the league in rebounding as well. McNeese ranks third in the conference in rebounding offense (39.75), seventh in field goal percentage defense (39.4) and three-point field goal percentage (30.9). In its last matchup against Southeastern, Guillory finished with 13 points alongside Yespes with 10 points in the 26-point loss.
 
Nicholls ended week seven of conference play 0-2 at home. The Colonels suffered a tough 68-60 loss to Northwestern State, before falling 67-53 to East Texas A&M. Nicholls sits amongst the top five teams in the conference standings, scoring 62.7 points per game with 33.9 rebounds. The Colonels rank third in scoring defense (57.70), fourth in scoring margin (+4.96), and fifth in field goal percentage (41.4). The Colonels have continued to stay within a good position in the league led by junior Tanita Swift, averaging 14.4 points per game, 4.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Swift has been a spark for Nicholls while securing 16 games in doubles figures this season. The Birmingham, Ala. Native ranks fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (42.8), sixth in scoring, and seventh in assists. Britiya Curtis is another offensive weapon for the Colonels, averaging 10.7 points per game and 2.7 rebounds. Curtis is shooting 43.1 percent from the field, 36.7 percent from behind the arch and 67.3 percent from the stripe. In the last game against SLU, Swift finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds while Eli Garnett followed up with 10 points and four rebounds.
 
Thursday's game will honor senior Taylor Bell as the Spotlight Player of the game. The first 150 fans will receive trading cards featuring the player, courtesy of PRIDE. Fans are encouraged to bring their partners, friends and family for the Love and Basketball game Thursday night, in celebration of Valentine's Day. Lion nation is also urged to celebrate the contributions of our five senior Lady Lions Saturday afternoon in the University Center for Senior Day.
 
Concluding Saturday's contest, Southeastern will remain at home in the University Center to face Northwestern State Thursday, Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. All games will be streamed on ESPN+ and can be heard online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Women's Basketball, follow @LionUpWBB on X, like /SoutheasternWBB on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.
 
TICKETS
For ticket information, please contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net/tickets. Southeastern offers mobile ticketing as the primary source for securing tickets. All tickets will be available via e-mail in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.

CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics has instituted a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.